OF SELBORNE. 283 



consists of three massy round stones, piled one on another, 

 without the least ornament or sculpture : the cavity at the 

 top is lined with lead, and has a pipe at bottom to convey off 

 the water after the sacred qeremony is performed. 



The east end of the south aisle is called the South Chancel, 

 and, till within these thirty years, was divided off by old 

 carved gothic frame-work of timber, having been a private 

 chantry. In this opinion we are more confirmed by observ- 

 ing two gothic niches within the space, the one in the east 

 wall and the other in the south, near which there probably 

 stood images and altars. 



In the middle aisle there is nothing remarkable : but I re- 

 member when it's beams were hung with garlands in honour 

 of young women of the parish, reputed to have died virgins ; 

 and recollect to have seen the clerk's wife cutting, in white 

 paper, the resemblances of gloves, and ribbons to be twisted 

 into knots and roses, to decorate these memorials of chastity. 

 In the church of Faringdon, which is the next parish, many 

 garlands of this sort still remain. 



The north aisle is narrow and low, with a sloping ceiling, 

 reaching within eight or nine feet of the floor. It had ori- 

 ginally a flat roof covered with lead, till, within a century 

 past, a churchwarden, stripping off the lead, in order, as he 

 said, to have it mended, sold it to a plumber, and ran away 

 with the money. This aisle has no door, for an obvious 

 reason ; because the north-side of the church-yard, being 

 surrounded by the vicarage-garden, affords no path to that 

 sid<> of the church. Nothing can be more irregular than the 

 pews of this church, which are of all dimensions and heights, 

 being patched up according to the fancy of the owners : but 

 whoever nicely examines them will find that the middle aisle 

 had, on each side, a regular row of benches of solid oak, all 

 alike, with a low back-board to each. These we should not 

 hesitate to say are coeval with the present church : and espe- 

 cially as it is to be observed that, at their ends, they are 

 ornamented with carved blunt gothic niches, exactly corre- 

 spondent to the arches of the church, and to a niche in the 

 south wall. The south aisle also has a row of these benches ; 



